AOH Pennsylvania State Board

Brothers:

As we celebrate this Memorial Day, let us remember the words spoken in the Gettysburg Address. I have posted t below.Please take a moment to read it. In this address Lincoln closes with the words, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  ”Under God“-how profound that even then, Lincoln understood the relevance of the great sacrifice made by those on both sides of the conflict.

In this speech he speaks of remembrance. On this Sunday, and again tomorrow, as we go to our churches, and to our cemeteries, remember all those who have sacrificed for us. Our churches, the places where we now worship, built by the hands, by the blood, sweat and tears as well as the hard earned donations of our forebears. Our Irish ancestors who toiled in the mines, in blacksmith shops, as laborers of all kinds; who dealt with the “NINA” bigotry of those times, who lived in “Irish towns,” the name for the tenements of their day. They have ALL sacrificed so much for us. They have all contributed to our freedom. Our Irish forebears who fought on both sides in ths civil war. Let us remember those who has gone before us, who are in Purgatory, or already in Heaven. This weekend of remembrance is indeed a reverent one. Never forget that to honor our loved ones is to also remember to honor our God. Again, this last line is so very important:

“that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” God bless all our AOH & LAOH Veteran’s & their families, as well as all the Veterans of this great nation!

As always, I leave you all…..In Friendship, Unity, and true Christian Charity,

Gary Duncan, President
Lackawanna Co. AOH


The Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

On June 1, 1865, Senator Charles Sumner commented on what is now considered the most famous speech by President Abraham Lincoln. The Bostonian remarked, “The world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it. The battle itself was less important than the speech.”


Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Brothers,

I wish you all a happy memorial day. Please keep in your prayers all our military personnell who are still in harms way in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Although it is a holiday for America and has recently been referred to as the beginning of summer, please reflect on what memorial day really means and thank God for our men and women in uniform who have protected us and have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Yesterday was a special day for me as I attended the dedication of a Viet Nam Memorial Wall in Wildwood NJ. Over 10,000 people attended this dedication with representatives from every branch of the military. This permanent wall is built to half scale of the Viet Nam Veterans Remembrance Wall in Washington DC and is the only permanent replica of that Wall although there is one somewhat similar in Florida.

About 2 years ago myself and some of our AOH brothers erected the Healing Wall, better known as the traveling wall,  in Fox Park in Wildwood NJ and at that time over 15,000 people visited it in just over 4 days. One of the people responsible for bringing that wall to NJ was Greg Mazzotta who proclaimed that “we will have our own permanent wall in Wildwood some day”. Unfortunately Greg died a month after starting the fundraising but his lifelong friend, Vince De Prinzio, would not let his friend’s dream die and contacted many of the organizations in the Wildwoods who got behind the project including the AOH and the Carpenters Union and many others and all the money was privately raised.  What a true memorial day for the people of New Jersey and especially for Tom Callahan who was there to see the wall in his own town. He lost one son in Viet Nam and another son died less than a year later from injuries received there. Just think of this father when you think of memorial day and as he said pray for all the troops and their families, living and deceased.

Seamus Boyle National President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc

Hibernian of the Year is Congressman Tim Murphy!

Hibernian of the Year Tim Murphy and AOH 32 President Denny Maher

And the Service Award Winner is Bob Kelly!

Service Award Winner Bob Kelly and AOH 32 President Denny Maher

The Rev. Thomas O’Donnell, 76, a priest from the Diocese of Pittsburgh
celebrated his 50th year of service last week in a ceremony that drew
people from across the country.

PDFOnline AOH